Coast Salish Dancer,
Vancouver Island's museums come in all sizes. You can spend an entire day exploring the all-encompassing Royal British Columbia Museum or focus on the nautical for an hour or two at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia.
The Aboriginal peoples were the first inhabitants of the islands. The U'mista and Quw'utsun' Cultural Centres do an outstanding job of bringing visitors closer to coastal Aboriginal history and traditions.
Forestry has been an important industry on the island for over a century. The BC Forest Discovery Centre brings this chapter of the past to life with interactive exhibits as well as restored machinery and vehicles.
The Whale Centre & Maritime Museum in Tofino concerns itself with whaling and the bounty of the Pacific Ocean, while the Qualicum Beach Museum & Historical Society focuses on people and events specific to this one small, coastal community.
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675 Belleville Street
Prepare to be amazed. British Columbia’s past, present and future are alive at the Royal BC Museum. Unique galleries showcase the human and natural history of our province and temporary exhibits from other countries and cultures. Authentic artifacts and specimens are displayed in highly realistic settings. From fossilized palm trees to satellite imagery, from Woolly Mammoth to webcam, experience British Columbia as it was and as it is now. Stroll through Old Town's main wood-cobbled street and enjoy its shops, cinema and railway station. Visit a ceremonial Big House, see totem poles from various First Nations and an impressive selection of masks.
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Maritime Museum of British Columbia
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia in
Victoria displays more than 5,000 nautical artifacts on three floors, including the 150-year-old Tilikum, a three-masted, converted dugout canoe.
Galleries include exhibits of early Pacific exploration, shipwrecks, piracy, traditions of the Royal Canadian Navy, coastal passenger ships and whaling.
The U'mista Cultural Centre brings the heritage of the Aboriginal people of
Alert Bay to life through exhibits, films and live traditional ceremonies.
The main exhibit, "The Potlatch Collection," is housed in a ceremonial longhouse. It displays potlatch regalia, such as masks, baskets and copper implements.
Quw'utsun' Cultural & Conference Centre
The Quw'utsun' Cultural Centre in
Duncan brings the heritage of the Cowichan people to life through live demonstrations, hands-on activities and a moving multi-media presentation of their oral history.
There are 2.4 ha ( 6 ac) of landscaped grounds and a number of traditional buildings to stroll through.
The BC Forest Discovery Centre in
Duncan chronicles the history of logging in the province.
There are indoor and outdoor exhibits, including operating steam and gas rail equipment plus logging trucks. You can also enjoy a ride on the 1920s steam train.
The Whale Centre Maritime Museum
The Whale Centre Maritime Museum houses an eclectic collection of artifacts, old photographs and wildlife exhibits that was collected and donated by the local people of Tofino . Items on display include a complete 12-m (40-ft) whale skeleton, native jewellery, basketry and whaling equipment, a stuffed bald eagle, ancient navigational charts and sea-life composites.
Qualicum Beach Museum & Historical Society
Qualicum Beach Museum & Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the coastal community of Qualicum Beach .